Something Out of the Ordinary
by Tanya Lilac
Summary: Tenten and Neji come home from camp, and are immediately invited to a pool party hosted by Naruto. A surprise arrival opens up old wounds, and sparks rivalry between the Rookie Nine, Team Gai and their guest... NejiTen, SasuSaku, NaruHina, ShikaIno
1. The Week Before

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. IT'S A PITY, THOUGH :)**

**Welcome back to the sequel (finally!) of Camp is Fun! I really have no idea how long it's going to take…**

**This is my gift fic for anyone who wants to claim it… along with forgotten-rose-b. Still missing and loving you (like another sister) dearly- you were there, in my mind. **

**Okay. This happened on the 21st of December 2005, which was a Wednesday. It was a lot of fun, and I hope some of my friends who were there will read this. Sorry to Keiren/Lee if I made you too immature or weird in the other ones. Read, review and I hope you enjoy. Sorry if I disappoint anyone. **

**Chapter one: Five Days Before**

Direct continuation from camp is fun

_Tenten took a step back and almost tripped over her feet when she crashed into Neji, who gracefully caught her in his arms. _

"_Hey Neji? About that idea…" she said, not moving from her current position as she traced the outline of his lips. _

_Neji hadn't forgotten. _

Tenten was almost dropped, however when the phone rang, loud and clear. She sighed and gazed longingly into his eyes and took her thumb away from his lips- scant inches away from her own.

The kunoichi stood up, quickly recovering her balance and answered the ringing cordless phone.

"Hello, Tenten speaking," Tenten could not help the weary sigh that escaped her.

"Tell me everything."

"Sakura, tell you what?"

Neji smirked. He liked the spacious apartment- free of clutter and dust, yet it still retained a strong sense of warmth and home- as did Tenten.

"Come on, I saw the two of you walking home, together- and to your house. Something must've happened!" Sakura insisted.

"Nothing happened." The steel in her voice was blatant and Sakura flinched.

There was a knock on the door, and Tenten threw the phone over to Neji, who was inspecting her kitchen.

"Amuse yourself!" Tenten called out.

Neji warily raised the phone to his ear.

"Oh my God- did I interrupt something?" Sakura was saying.

"I'd prefer not to dignify that question with an answer."

"Who is this? Neji? Oh my God- are you living with her now? Are you planning on having s…?" Neji gingerly held the phone away from his ear, staring at it dispassionately.

Tenten opened the door and was handed a small slip of paper by Uzumaki Naruto, accompanied by Hyuuga Hinata.

"Hey Naruto, Hinata… what's the occasion?" Tenten asked.

"Just a celebration… I guess it's just an excuse for everyone to get together for something other than a mission debriefing…" Hinata smiled.

"Okay… Would you like to come in? Or have you got to go and give out the rest of the invites?"

"No- we'd better get going… Call us when you know if you can come." Naruto turned to leave.

"Neji and I would be glad to come." Tenten called out quickly.

"Are you sure?" Hinata asked, a little bit unsure.

"Sure I'm sure. Neji just needs more opportunities to be social and not look down on people he interacts with." Tenten smiled, and the pair continued down the hallway to the lift.

Tenten entered her apartment and saw Neji still sitting on one of her kitchen stools, with the phone still a good distance away from his ear.

"Hey Neji-kun!" Tenten bounded up to stand behind him and kissed his ear.

"I _want_ you…" Sakura heard, "Okay, well I _need_ you…"

"Tenten and Neji! For frickin Pete's sake, get a bloody room, or hang up! Anyway, that's old news, say something _else_ for once!"

"Don't mind if I do." Neji answered coldly and hung up. He turned to his kunoichi and slid off the chair. "What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing, it's just that you're coming to Naruto's pool party." Tenten said.

"When was this decided?" Neji drew himself up to his full height.

"Mmm… Five seconds ago."

"Mmm… Why was I not informed?"

"Because you owe me- I went on that camp for you. And don't mock me." She added.

"Or what?" Neji's trademark smirk was beginning to show.

"Or… I will do something to you that you will regret."

"Or… I will do something to you that you will regret." Neji mimicked. He took a step toward her and she took a step back.

"Neji…" she warned.

"Tenten…" he whispered huskily.

"Two can play at that game…" Tenten purred, putting a hand on her hip while she looked at him from lowered lashes.

"Really?" the Hyuuga murmured.

"Yes, really," the kunoichi replied

"That almost doesn't make sense." Neji took more slow, self assured steps towards Tenten and she took more steps back, tensing when she felt the smooth, cold wall under her spine.

Neji smirked. Checkmate.

"Have I ever told you how much I _hate_ that smirk?" Tenten said, her words drowned in poisoned honey.

"You love it," Neji continued to smirk, then decided to stop stalling and kissed her.

Tenten returned the gesture, feeling their bodies shift and curve to the other's shape. Suddenly, Tenten was gone from beneath his body and Neji could taste his own blood in his mouth. He sighed and shook his head.

Tenten slipped lithely away and ran quickly into her bedroom, her feet carrying her softly across the wooden floorboards.

"Neji? Are you leaving tonight?" Tenten asked a few minutes later, walking from her bedroom to the bathroom.

"I'll be back later tonight though."

"Are you leaving now?"

"I think so."

Neji walked into the bathroom and Tenten was clad only in her long dark brown hair.

"Are you coming for dinner?" Tenten asked as he came to stand behind her, resting his chin on her bare shoulder, which he kissed.

"I've already had a _bite_, Tenten, but thanks for the offer. I have to go- I'll see you soon." Tenten smiled.

"Before you leave, take my spare key hanging by the door. Don't pick my lock anymore, my neighbours have been thinking that you've been robbing and or violating me. And it's annoying when I have to yell at you."

A smirk flitted across Neji's face. She kissed him, lightly, on the lips and he was gone- his exit marked by a soft jangling of keys and the barely audible click of the door closing.

He came back later that night. Tenten was wearing a pale green night dress, and her hair was still damp when he arrived. The scent of her coconut milk conditioner was still faintly in the air mingled with the summer breeze that drifted past the white gauzy curtains, which ruffled upon the silken touch of the draught.

The door unlocked with a click and Neji came in, smirking when he saw what she wore.

"Did Lee give you that?" He said in a low voice that carried across the room. He thought she looked like a sprite from a book- lying on her caramel coloured bed, in her green night dress, her dark hair pooling above her head, her honey coloured eyes dreamy and unfocused, her creamy, unblemished skin glowing. He lay down beside her and they fell into a world of sweet dreams.

**Sorry- I needed some kind of ending, so I wrote one- like it or lump it- tell me what you think! **

**Not that much SasuSaku yet, but hopefully there will be room for some in chapters to come!**

**Merry Christmas! (It's 12:03!) **


	2. The Day of the Party: MorningAfternoon

**My thoughts are spinning out into other worlds. Honestly. So I'm sorry if this story doesn't flow well, make sense and/or satisfy. I have discovered that Neji and Tenten's relationship apparently comprises of out of character ness – Tenten is unnecessarily bratty and Neji is easy to manipulate and… nice. Hmm. **

**Read, review and enjoy! **

**THE DAY OF THE PARTY: MORNING**

Tenten jumped onto her bed.

"Neji!" she yelled, "Get up, get up, get up!"

Neji said nothing, but just stared up at the ceiling with a very blank expression on his face.

"Neji? Are you sulking?" Tenten's voice was filled with an incredulous laugh and a cheeky smile. "Because if you are sulking, you're not very good at it."

Tenten smiled.

"I don't want to go!" Neji crossed his arms and glared at her.

"So I figured." Tenten remarked dryly.

"So why are you making me go?" Neji asked.

"Because, dobe, it's rude to accept an invitation and then not turn up at all!" Tenten turned on her heel and walked out of the room.

He sighed and stood up, then straightened the bed sheets with a flick of his wrists. He opened the curtains and sat down on Tenten's kitchen stools and started eating his breakfast- Neji had toast and Tenten had fruit.

"Why do you always eat fruit?" Neji asked, noticing for not the first time that it was all she seemed to eat in the morning.

"My father taught me how to use a knife at five. He said that the faster and more accurate I got with one, the stronger I'd be compared to other girls." She laughed softly. "So it became my job to peel the fruit and vegetables with a knife, not a peeler. As I got better, he taught me how to use bigger knives and other weapons. I used to think it was just a game, until the day I realised that he was training me to become the best kunoichi I could be… I have a lot to thank him for… but now I guess I just eat fruit in the morning out of habit." Tenten absentmindedly peeled a nectarine. She looked down with surprise. Neji smirked and took the fruit from her, and took a bite. The nectarine was soft, sweet and a bit sour- perfect.

"What are you doing?" Tenten asked.

"Eating the fruit that you peeled."

"That was mine!"

"It didn't look like you even knew that you were peeling it."

"Neji, you suck." Tenten finished off the rest of her breakfast, and then slid off the stool. "Come on, hurry up slow poke! We have to go soon."

"What? It's eight o'clock!" Neji washed his hands at the sink.

"I know that! We have to go, you idiot!" Tenten pulled out some clothes for Neji from his drawer in her room.

"Where are we going?" Neji looked at the fridge where the invite was stuck on.

"We're going to _train _you dobe!" Tenten laughed and pulled on her black fingerless gloves. She stowed another pair in her backpack along with a bottle of water, bandages and more weapons.

The pair made their way through the far from sleepy streets of Konoha. The summer always brought with it a frenzy of activity, with the extended hours of light and short periods of cool, found when the sun was low in the sky.

They made it to the training ground without anything of significance happening, and Tenten stretched and retied her hair into its two signature buns. Neji simply sat and meditated, as he always did while waiting for her to finish.

"Okay, I'm ready." Tenten declared.

"No, you're not." Neji whispered softly in her ear. Tenten jumped and kicked him in the stomach, and missed, then flipped backwards.

Neji smirked. He knew he still had the upper edge when it came to surprising her.

"Why did you have to do that? It freaks me out." Tenten whined. Neji continued smirking, as was his trademark in these situations. Tenten flicked her wrists. Knives slid out of the gloves and Neji cocked an eyebrow.

"Is that meant to be impressive?" he asked, flitting to stand beside her.

"No, it's meant to be my weapon of choice." She said, tilting her head to one side.

"Well this is mine," Neji whispered in her exposed ear.

Tenten laughed and stopped instantly when Neji pulled her forehead protector over her eyes.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Leave it on." Neji's voice came to her right.

"Why?"

"Because I'm testing you," Neji replied. "I have bells tied onto my wrists and ankles. Try and block my attacks, but you cannot use ninjutsu or genjutsu."

"Teasing me, more like it," Tenten grumbled. Nevertheless, she settled into a defensive crouch and waited, breathing in and out calmly.

"Breathe deeply, and let everything around you just be absorbed by your senses. If you can keep up, you will be able to find me." Neji said softly. Tenten still heard his instructions and breathed even deeper than before.

She felt her senses amplify, until she could hear Neji's barely audible footsteps. The bells chinked ever so slightly and Tenten made no move. She pin pointed his location- Neji was north-east and a few paces away. He was, however, flitting about constantly and it soon became impossible to keep track of his movements.

The bells pealed loud and clear to her left, and Tenten flung out both arms, her knives bare. The kunoichi felt fabric rip beneath the knives on her right hand and she smiled. Neji was still a bit predictable. Her satisfaction faded away when the bells began to sing all over the place. The delicate chimes covered up his movements and it annoyed Tenten.

The kunoichi moved her hands in a smooth flowing motion in all directions around her body, but they slashed at nothing but air. Tenten felt feather light touches all around her body, and Neji's cold voice came from beside her ear.

"You're too slow."

Tenten pushed her forehead protector upwards so that it rested underneath her fringe and pouted.

"Not fair! Even when we spar, you always win- it's not fair that I have to be blindfolded- it just means that you'll win faster and easier than you normally do!"

"What would you have me do then?"

"Well, you could have the blindfold, and you wouldn't be able to use the Byakugan or any chakra whatsoever, and you would have to have your hands tied together behind your back while I would have as many weapons as I wanted and no handicaps." Tenten's jaw dropped when Neji nodded. "Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously." He smirked, but Tenten, almost delirious with glee, chose to ignore his expression and beamed in return.

The kunoichi jumped up and ran to her bag and pulled on her kunai holsters after tying Neji's hands together and pulling his own forehead protector over his silver eyes.

"There is one condition." Neji called out clearly from the middle of the grassless patch. "The winner cannot brag, and the loser must obey the winner for a whole week."

"Are you that sure that you're going to lose?" Tenten called.

Neji didn't reply, intent on finding Tenten and predicting her next move.

She came on his left, and kunai flew in on his right. Neji jumped and landed neatly on a tree branch, then leaned on the sturdy trunk. He and Tenten knew every inch of their area and could recreate the entire thing leaf for leaf.

He was about to jump off, knowing that he had stayed where he was for too long, when he felt the branch shift and the Hyuuga found he couldn't move- Tenten had bound his body to the trunk with chakra strings and was now coming up to gloat about her win. She poked him roughly all over his body and pushed his forehead protector back over the teal mark on his forehead.

"I win!" Tenten smiled and closed her fist. Neji looked down and the thick chakra bands dissolved. "So now, you have to do everything I tell you to do until next Wednesday." She beamed. "Firstly, you can not get out of going to the party because I will drag you there even if you don't want to go. Secondly, you have to be nice to everyone today, especially Hinata because she's really excited about this whole thing." Tenten slid down to the ground, using her claws to slow her descent, leaving gashes down the side of the tree.

"Okay, we're leaving now." Tenten picked up her bag.

"Why?"

"Because I don't feel like training today." Tenten turned to leave.

Neji jumped down.

"You're annoying." He said coldly.

"Well that's something I haven't heard before." She bounded happily home and Neji sighed before following her, but with less enthusiasm.

"You know, this is the second time in two weeks that you are completely at my mercy, and you can do nothing about it!"

"The winner wasn't allowed to brag!"

"Who said I was bragging?"

Neji sighed.

"Where are we going?" Neji asked.

"We are going home."

"Why?"

"My, my Neji, we are so full of questions today!" Tenten laughed.

Neji scowled.

"Don't scowl like that- you'll get wrinkles." Tenten pressed back the frown lines on his face as they stepped out of the elevator.

Neji felt his face muscles relax, and he sighed. He tried to count how long it had taken Tenten to get him right where she wanted him. He realised it was less than five minutes.

Neji unlocked the door and stepped in. The apartment was no different as to when they had left it.

Tenten flopped onto the couch and pulled out from underneath it a book to read.

"What? You didn't want to leave before, so you can go and do whatever you wanted to do." Tenten soon became absorbed in her reading. Neji noted that it was a book of astrology and wondered how she had become interested in the topic.

"Neji- go and amuse yourself," Tenten's voice came from between the pages. "You're making me nervous, especially since you could be staring at me through this book."

Neji huffed and walked away.

And came back a few minutes later to annoy the weapons mistress.

"Neji, go and meditate or whatever you do in your spare time… I really don't want to know." Tenten turned the page.

Neji smirked and stared at Tenten through the book.

"Stop trying to get my attention. It's not going to work. Stop smirking. It annoys me."

Neji smirked harder.

"What do you want me to do? Tell you what you have to do?"

A few minutes passed. Tenten slid the book under the couch and stood up.

Neji came to stand behind Tenten and he caressed the back of her neck with his lips.

"Neji? What are you doing?" Tenten asked, her voice wavering.

"Amusing myself," Neji answered in that low seductive voice that he knew Tenten couldn't resist. He slowly ran a hand down the curve of her hip and turned her around.

"Are you really Neji?" she asked warily.

Neji was hurt.

"Of course I am! Didn't you think that I was capable of something spontaneously romantic?"

"Have you been talking to Sakura or Ino or Hinata?" Tenten paused. "Have you been talking to Hinata?" she ruled the other two out because the odds of Neji talking to them of his own free will were very slim.

Neji _smiled_. Tenten gave up and laughed and planted a kiss on his neck.

Her lips travelled slowly up his chin and to his lips. He made a low noise in his throat and it thrummed through Tenten's body, making her shiver, giving him an excuse to pull her closer to him, passionately and possessively. Tenten moved her head away, but Neji followed her lips.

"Wait, Neji… I think I hear…something." Tenten said between his kisses. She broke away, panting slightly, her lips swollen, her hair a bit messy. The kunoichi crept silently over to the door and put her eye to the small hole.

She instantly backed away.

"Neji? There's someone at the door. Tell them to go away." Tenten pleaded, putting on a higher pitched tone than usual. Neji sighed, and obeyed, knowing that he had no choice to.

He wrenched open the door and, to his dismay, three girls almost fell into Tenten's apartment. He stuck his head out and the screaming began. Ignoring the noise, he looked up and down the hallway- it was jam packed full of screaming adolescent girls.

He rubbed the back of his head.

"Girls. Ahem." They fell silent at his voice. "Go away, all of you." he said quietly, leaving the silent, stunned crowd and shut the door.

"Nicely done," Tenten smiled. She glanced at the clock. "It's only nine. We have an hour and a half to kill." The phone rang and Tenten sighed. "I'll get that."

"Tenten!" Sakura yelled. "I am having a major crisis! I have nothing to wear!"

"Why don't you ask Sasuke to help you find something to wear?"

"Because," Sakura wailed, "he has no fashion sense. When I asked him, he thought that the heart top went well with the pink jeans! But they don't!"

Tenten rolled her eyes and flopped back down onto the couch.

"Why don't you call Ino?" she suggested.

"She's having the same problem!"

"Hinata?"

"Too busy organising the whole party… so that leaves only you! Please, Tenten, you have to help me!" Sakura begged.

"Sakura," Tenten said, "We both know what kind of help I could give you in this situation that is zero. Just find something to wear that is appropriate for today, and it'll be fine. Honestly. It's not like anyone's going to see you."

"Well, there is Sasuke's FREAKIN ANNOYING FAN GIRLS! They make a living out of chasing him around Konoha whenever he steps out of the house, and criticise me by saying, 'why don't you let _me _be your girlfriend? _I _won't wear sluttish clothing like _that_' despite the fact of course, they're wearing just a little bit more than underwear."

"Well try having as many as they can stuff into the guy's girlfriend's apartment corridor," Tenten said dryly.

"They did that? You really have to do something about them!" Sakura gaped.

"I think he was safer for obvious reasons in the Hyuuga compound." Tenten said, looking around for the Hyuuga, but he wasn't in the lounge room or the kitchen.

"Sasuke's digging around in my stuff. I don't know what for… No! I am _not _wearing that! Sasuke, I appreciate the help, but … I think I can do this myself." Sakura heard identical sighs of relief- one from Sasuke and one from Tenten.

"So I think I should be going now. I have something to do. See you later!" Tenten said and hung up. She sat up and looked around. Neji startled her by appearing at her side in an instant.

"Have you made a living out of scaring me?" Tenten demanded.

Neji smirked.

"Have I ever told you how much I _hate _that smirk?" Tenten repeated.

"Mm. You love it," Neji replied, as if it was the only response he knew for that question. He did not try to kiss her again though, for his lips had ached for a while after the bite.

Tenten pouted.

"What? No kiss? I don't bite… anymore…" Tenten grinned wickedly. "You do realise that it is the second time in a few weeks that you are completely at my mercy?" Neji said nothing, his eyes clouding with a rare moment of nostalgia.

"Well," He said huskily, "the last time wasn't so bad…" he rubbed his thumb over her soft lips and knew that she was also thinking about the kiss that Lee had taken a photo of. Tenten glanced at the clock, but Neji took her face in his hands and drew her gaze to meet his own.

"Don't do that," he whispered in her ear. "It makes the time seem to pass slowly." He kissed her earlobe, temple, cheek and mouth. She squirmed and felt Neji push her back onto the couch.

"Neji," Tenten whispered against his lips, "I love you."

Neji drew back and looked down at her face. He smiled, genuinely. "I love you too…"

He whispered back as he kissed her, his unrestrained hair sliding down to curtain their faces. He shifted onto his side and they resumed their kissing and caresses.

Someone pounded on the door and burst in.

"Sorry to interrupt the lovefest," someone said sarcastically, "but it is 10:15 and you two are not even dressed properly." Tenten's head shot up from behind Neji's form, her eyes a bit glazed and her complexion a glowing rose. She bit her lip and lowered her gaze. Sasuke was a bit unnerving, especially when he looked directly at you with those fathomless ebony eyes.

"Lovefest?" Neji sat up and turned around, his demeanour cool and poised. "Sakura must really have rubbed off on you."

"Boys," Tenten stood up, briskly straightening her clothes. "Play nicely. I'm going to get dressed, and I would like to hope that the two of you are mature enough to restrain yourselves and won't tear up my apartment." She made her way down the hallway and quickly pulled off her clothes and found new ones to wear.

She left her room and Neji quickly brushed past her to change. Tenten smiled.

"Do you want anything to drink?" she asked the Uchiha as she threw her towel into the bag she had taken with her to training.

"No, thank you." Sasuke said, looking out the window.

"Where's Sakura?" Tenten asked, noting that the pink haired kunoichi was absent.

"She's still getting ready."

"What! She called me at nine and she wasn't dressed then, and I thought she said that she could figure it out on her own!" Tenten shook her head.

"I don't think any of use realised how many bathing suits she can fit into her wardrobe." Sasuke smirked, and Tenten laughed. His expression, however, changed into a mask of cool politeness as Neji slipped his arm around Tenten's waist and pulled her into his body.

"The testosterone level in here is getting too much for me to stand- I don't intend to wait and see if I will change into a dark and broody male due to this phenomenon." Tenten said dryly, shrugging Neji away from her. The kunoichi picked up her bag and shook her head with wonder. The two were so alike; it made them different to the other. Neji's eyes were bright like the moon whereas Sasuke's were as dark and infinite as a black hole. Both had a bloodline limit and a tragic past that they were constantly haunted by, much like their fan girls, yet there always seemed to be a subtle undercurrent of coldness between the two.

Tenten was about to step out of her apartment when Sasuke grabbed her wrist.

"Not that way." he mouthed. Tenten understood. Walking around Konoha without Sakura would have attracted more fan girls to him than ants to honey. Neji glared at Sasuke and he glared back, releasing Tenten's hand. She wordlessly grabbed the both of them by the collar and hauled them into her bedroom and opened her window. She slipped through and landed on her balcony. They followed her and jumped into the trees nearby. Once in the busy streets of Konoha, Neji slowed down and began to lag behind Tenten, who grabbed his hand.

"Come on!" Tenten tugged at Neji's hand. He continued to resist, and she continued to pull. "Neji! Hurry up!" the kunoichi turned around. She put a hand on her hip. "You owe me. I went on that camp for you."

Neji sighed resignedly. It was true. The stoic Uchiha fell in smoothly in beside Tenten, who was ignoring the Hyuuga, who emanated a cold and icy silence.

"Sasuke- kun!" A voice called. Sasuke visibly tensed and got ready to run when Tenten placed a hand on his arm.

"I don't think your _girlfriend_ would appreciate you running away from her." Tenten pointed in the direction of the voice, Sakura rapidly approaching.

"Oh my gosh, Tenten, that looks hot!" Sakura squealed. Tenten looked down. She was wearing a light brown miniskirt made out of a fabric close to denim and a thin white cotton singlet top, with her pink halter neck swimmers underneath.

"Thanks. I see you put together a nice outfit too." Tenten replied. Sakura beamed. She wore a black strapless and sleeveless top and a tan cargo miniskirt.

A passing stranger wolf-whistled at the two kunoichi but the sound died in his throat as three of them turned to glare at him- Sasuke, Tenten and Neji. He scurried off on his own business.

They recommenced their walking and soon arrived at Uzumaki Naruto's house.

"Hey!" Naruto greeted the quartet with enthusiasm. "Come in!"

Everyone took off their shoes and entered the dwelling. All of the guests were already there. Lee (devoid of green clothing) had gotten a haircut, Ino who had braided her hair, Hinata had dressed simply, fittingly and elegantly for the occasion, Shikamaru who was engaging in a conversation with Shino who looked not a bit out of place in his sunglasses and a stranger who was talking animatedly with Lee while they played pool. He had dark brown curly hair that was almost as long as Sasuke's and his tanned skin was covered with freckles. Their game was almost at an end.

There was a knock on the door. No one really noticed except Tenten, who answered. She was greeted by an extremely high pitched squeal and tight hug.

"Tenten!" she cried, jumping up and down emphatically after the hug.

"Isamu Akiko," Neji said coldly from the corridor.

Akiko stepped back and thrust out her bottom lip like a scolded child.

"Neji-kun…" she simpered. "I haven't seen you in a few years- the least you can do is give me a hug and a kiss."

"Hn." Neji turned on his heel and entered Naruto's living room.

"Oh my God, he is so hot! And I saw him _first_." Akiko bounded alongside her friend and noted her stiffening.

"Tenten- what's wrong? Do you find my 'fawning over boys utterly pathetic' as you once said?" Akiko smiled. "You're such a prude. You need to get out more, and find yourself a hot boyfriend." She teased. Before Tenten could reply, Akiko was greeted by more high pitched screams in the lounge room.

"Ki-san!"

"Akiko!"

"Sa-chan! No-chan!"

"You look awesome! I love your hair!" Sakura squealed, jumping up and down.

"And your eyelash tints! They're so good! Where'd you get them done?" Ino added, doing the same action as her friends.

"You guys are just… like, oh my god!" There was a group hug and much more squealing.

Akiko turned around to face Hinata, and hugged her.

"You look beautiful, Hinata. Thank you so, so much for arranging for me to come out here." A quiet moment passed.

"Akiko-chan!" Naruto bounded up to greet his friend. It was no secret, however, that before the kunoichi had left a few years ago for the Wave country, she had desired more than friendship from him, and still did. "Hina-chan and I are glad to have you here. Thank you for coming." He said, hugging her then returning to stand beside Hinata.

Tenten nodded. He had tactfully, and with few words, shown that he and Hinata had a relationship, and Akiko knew this.

Akiko's smile did not falter, but inside, she felt something break. She turned away.

"Nara." She softly said.

"Isamu." Shikamaru replied curtly and Akiko laughed and jumped into his arms.

Tenten watched the red head, with black tinted eyelashes blue eyes and creamy skin covered with freckles, jump around and greet all the male members in the room, until she came to the stranger.

"Hi," she fluttered her eyelashes in a flirtatious fashion. "I'm Isamu Akiko- pleased to meet you."

"Narikio Lee." He shook her hand and she blushed when he kissed her cheek in a polite and formal manner.

"Yosh! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, this is Hyuuga Hinata, Hyuuga Neji, Tenten, Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke and Aburame Shino… if you guys want to start swimming, the pool is out that way." Naruto pointed after a while.

Tenten stripped down to her swimsuit and Neji took off his shirt. They ran out into the backyard and dived into the pool- Tenten gracefully, and Neji flipped forward.

"Show off," Tenten muttered darkly when they both resurfaced.

He smirked (how could he resist such an opportunity?), earning himself a few mouthfuls of chlorine water.

That sunny afternoon was wonderfully spent by the pool, or rather, in it.

Sakura sat on the pool step, resisting Rock Lee's many attempts to pull her in, earning himself a few (jealous) death glares from Sasuke. Lee just shrugged them off.

The other Lee was enduring a lot of flirtatious advances from both Akiko and Ino- even thought Ino already had Shikamaru, she couldn't resist teasing him more than just a few times, even though he was four years her senior.

Tenten sighed. Most of the day had slipped away without anything to complain about but one thing- tanning. Sakura, Ino and Akiko loved it, but Tenten hated it. She was getting tanned- too tanned. She glanced over at Neji who was slathering on more sunscreen for the umpteenth time that day. He was still, however, impeccably pale as ever. She sighed again.

"Tenten? Earth to Tenten?" Akiko asked, giggling. The five girls had retreated into the shade watching the other boys engage in meaningless tackling in the pool.

"Mm?" Tenten cocked her head to show she was listening.

"Who do you like?" Akiko asked, still giggling. Tenten resisted the urge to gag.

"Pfft!" Sakura snorted.

"Sho not only fully _loves_ him; she's _living _with him… I think it'll he only a few more months before they announce their engagement." Ino giggled loudly. Shikamaru and Narikio (they had decided to call the Lees by their last names) looked over at her and she winked and waved.

Akiko rolled her eyes. "Amateur," she muttered. "So, Tenten, who is it? Lee? I bet you it is, if not, he wishes."

"Come on," Tenten groaned. "He won't ever think of me as more than a really close friend- sister even, and I don't think I'd have our relationship any other way. I used to like him, though, for a few years when I was like 14… but you're wrong, if you haven't figured it out yet."

Akiko growled. "Tell me!"

Tenten smiled angelically and mimed zipping her lips shut.

"It's Neji-nii-san," Hinata said, "You're a bit slow, Ki-san."

"Well, I'm not sorry if I am, Hina-chan." Akiko smiled. "but how do you know that you _love _him? Love is a very… heavy word- I mean, you know, he _is _your first boyfriend." Akiko spoke with the air of one who thought she was superior to her peers.

"Maybe I don't need to go through as many boyfriends as I can before seeing if I can see the difference between them, and find out, through that what 'love' is." Tenten said quietly.

Akiko rolled her eyes. "You always were quite… self-righteous when it came to stuff like this- it's just because you think you're so above every one else!"

Tenten cocked an eyebrow.

"What's wrong Ki-san?" Sakura asked.

"Nothing… it's just that everyone has someone- Hina-chan has Naruto, Ten-san has Neji, No-chan has Shikamaru and Sa-chan has Sasuke, but I have no one!"

Tenten snorted.

"I know for a fact that you had at least thirteen boyfriends in the past two years while living in the Wave country."

"I know… it's just that…" Akiko looked longingly at a certain blonde hyperactive boy.

"Naruto-kun." Hinata finished softly.

An uncomfortable silence settled between the girls and stretched until the sun set.

**Wow. That took a long time to type out. The next chapter will hopefully be coming out within the next few weeks, so keep an eye out for it! I don't know why Akiko is in this one, I guess we all need someone to really bash to bits in a story. Hm. **


	3. The Day of the Party:Evening

**Yeah! I am pretty proud of myself, because as soon as I published the last chapter (which it seemed like no one liked), I got right into doing this chapter. How long it'll take me, I don't really know because I type slowly when it's not from the top of my head... I think this is the third last chapter (two more to write!)… So, anyhow, read, review and enjoy! **

**THE DAY OF THE PARTY: EVENING**

The hours seemed to slip away easily, with nothing of real significance happening. When the sun was no longer visible, Narikio Lee had left, and everyone went into the house, not wishing to be eaten alive by mosquitoes, and Shino didn't enjoy bug spray being used n his presence.

Sasuke gently and inexorably placed his hand on Sakura's cheek and drew her face closer to his. His lips slowly covered her own and the broke away after a moment. Her green eyes met his cobalt and she felt an intense desire for him- one she saw mirrored in the black depths of his eyes.

"Sasuke-kun…" she breathed and she found herself beneath his body, becoming permanently attached to one another, mainly by the lips, and didn't look very keen on letting go. Everyone else ignored them, and did other things for entertainment.

Akiko was getting bored. Shino and Lee were not very exciting people, she had concluded and she did not think it was worth the time and energy to flirt with them.

She stood up announced, "Let's play pool!" for Tenten's benefit, as she had been quietly conversing with Neji about something. Tenten turned around and her face was a cool mask of indifference.

Akiko gaped. "You have no idea how freakish that was. You went assassin face on me, like Shino the Smiling Assassin." Akiko smiled. She had a very wild imagination and had often thought that Shino smiled all the time behind his trench coat. He wasn't wearing it today, and he had not smiled in the course of five hours, but it didn't stop Akiko from still believing her theory.

"Hn." Tenten said tonelessly, even though her face had split into a grin. Akiko prepared her cue and the table while Tenten slid off Neji's lap and picked up a cue, spinning it like a quarterstaff. When Lee stood to join them, Tenten abruptly stopped the cue and pressed the point in his chest.

"No, Lee." Tenten said firmly. He glared.

"Oi!"

"This is a girl's challenge only. Sorry, Lee." Tenten turned and flicked the other end of the cue into his stomach. He cursed and she smiled in response.

"So, Akiko," Tenten began, "How does this work?"

"I have no idea." Akiko replied.

Their game ended up consisting of many flukes and bad shots. Tenten's reward for sinking a striped ball was, strangely, a hug and a high-five from Shikamaru. Needless to say, there were many laughs from the others and complaints from Lee.

"You're not doing it right!" He yelled. "I'll show you!" he made to take up a cue but Tenten, again, poked him.

"Hey, that's fun!" She laughed. "Anyway, I can do it myself." she successfully sank the maroon striped ball and Shikamaru hugged her.

Tenten wondered what to do next. She aimed for the green ball and found she couldn't concentrate with Lee glaring at her for poking him and not letting him help, Akiko making noises to distract her, Ino glaring at Shikamaru for hugging Tenten and Neji glaring at the Nara for hugging his girlfriend. In the next instant, Akiko won by default. Lee was howling with laughter and Tenten rounded on Neji with her cue.

"Neji!" she yelled. "You're such a pervert!"

"What?" Neji said, looking chastised. "All I did was…accidentally bump the cue."

"You bumped something else, and you know it," Tenten muttered, putting away the cue after rapping his knuckles sharply.

Sasuke and Sakura had not moved from where the position they were in 45 minutes ago. Akiko bounded over to them and tapped the bottle she was holding.

"Sasuke-kun! Sa-chan!" she yelled, to no avail. She turned away, sickened- but it was hardly so for the pair involved. Their lips were firmly interlocked, much like their tongues, fingers and bodies- as much as was possible, fully clothed. Akiko's shouting, and everyone else's voices fell upon deaf ears.

Tenten strode over and brusquely poked both of her friends.

They were not happy at the interruption.

"What is it?" Sasuke snapped, his voice harsh and his breathing ragged.

"Truth or dare, are you playing?" She gestured to the bottles Akiko, Shino, Ino and Naruto held. There was no affirmative answer, but as the pair did not continue with their make out session, Tenten pulled them up and over to the pool table.

The 11 of them assembled around the green table, Hinata looking a bit anxious, Neji looking cool and calm, but his eyes revealed a bit of puzzlement.

"We're not drunk enough to play yet," Lee complained. He had, over the years, mysteriously acquired some tolerance to alcoholic substances and could still call upon the power of the Drunken Fist upon will.

Tenten rolled her eyes, muttering something along the lines of, "Pathetic imbecile."

"Ten-san, you're a spoil sport!" Lee glared at her, and Tenten glared back. Neji stepped coolly between them, settling the matter.

"Hn." She huffed. After a few moments, though, she kissed him lightly.

"Get a room you two!" Akiko yelled.

"Well, I'm not the one who finds gay couples cute!" Tenten retorted.

"What has that got to do with anything?" Akiko demanded.

"You know, I don't really know!" Tenten said, her voice still a bit raised.

"So you wouldn't object to two guys making out in front of you…" Sakura asked, interested.

"I'd object to _anyone _making out in front of me!" Tenten and Akiko said at the same time.

"Oh my God." They said in unison, and began laughing once more.

Neji sighed.

"Are we going to play, or not?" Sasuke asked, getting a bit impatient.

Akiko sultrily poured the drink into a shot glass and swallowed.

"Truth or dare?" Tenten asked.

"Truth." Akiko picked. It was rare for her to do so.

"How many guys did you get with over the course of two years in the Wave country?" Tenten asked.

"Does that include non-boyfriends?"

"Yeah. Everyone…"

"Um. I think… all of them?" Akiko scratched her head.

"All of them?" Ino snorted.

"Except for maybe a few, but most of them are really hot… and, unfortunately, extremely boring…"

She shrugged like it was no big deal, and that the others would have done exactly the same. Akiko threw the glass to Neji across the table.

"Truth or dare?" she whispered.

Neji did not drink the liquid from the bottle. "Dare." He did not shift under everyone's scrutiny, but remained eye contact with Tenten, like he knew what would come next.

"You… have to kiss a girl in this room, other than Tenten." She slyly pouted.

Neji glared. He looked despairingly at Tenten, who shrugged. Stuff like this, she knew, shouldn't be taken personally, but she knew Neji hated to be tricked and Akiko was no novice in the art of trickery and seduction.

Neji lightly brushed his lips against Akiko's and moved away. The kunoichi from the Wave country quickly drew him back, and twined her arms around his neck and kissed his mouth, with a desperate, fiery need.

Neji, outraged, pushed her away, repulsion and resentment blatant in his glare.

"Akiko," Tenten asked, barely masking her anger. "What is wrong with you? Is it because of Naruto? Are you that desperate for someone to make out with that you trick your best friend's _boyfriend_ into kissing you?" she sneered, disgusted. "That's a lowly cowardice, sluttish tactic."

Everyone gathered at the other end of the room, on the other side of the table.

Akiko turned around and looked Tenten straight in the eyes. There was not a single glimmer or trace of remorse or guilt.

"Ten-san?" she simpered. "What were you saying? I didn't hear you."

Everyone waited with bated breath.

Tenten simply looked at her, her face expressionless and cold.

"You're a sluttish bitch not worth knowing. Get out."

"What?"

"Get out. I am going to hurt you as much as possible, but I don't plan on you ruining Naruto's house. Get out." Tenten repeated in a slow, deadly voice.

"I don't think so." Akiko snatched up a pool stick and swung it at Tenten. The kunoichi grabbed Akiko's upper wrist, struck the other hand, and then flicked the lower end of the stick onto the girl's stomach. She cursed and doubled over.

"You heard what I said. Now, we're going outside." Tenten caught the objects Neji threw at her and placed her hand on Akiko's shoulder. The two of them disappeared in a cloud of white smoke.

Everyone in the room glanced at someone else and they, too, disappeared in a cloud of smoke, following them out to Team Gai's training ground.

Tenten slipped on her altered fingerless black gloves, watching Akiko with sharp eyes. She knew she had the advantage in this situation- Akiko had never been here before, and it was Tenten's domain. In the dim light, the many craters on the ground made by Neji's Kaiten were unseen and dangerous.

Akiko straightened and formed several seals then leapt into the air and dove onto Tenten, who nimbly jumped out of the way. The spot where she had stood moments ago became a crater, and the cracks reached her feet where she now stood.

Tenten climbed into the trees and crouched in the shadows, casting out her senses for the other kunoichi. She was near. Very near- Tenten could smell her fear and sudden doubt as her arrogance fled.

Shuriken flew from Tenten's hands and she heard the satisfying cry of pain and the other shadows of Akiko turned to smoke.

Tenten felt the tree shift and she leapt into another. Moments later, she saw that the other tree had turned into water. It washed over the ground with a splash that drenched her clothing.

She sensed the other woman behind her, and pushed herself off the tree with her feet. She flew almost horizontally for a few moments, her arms outstretched. She suddenly stopped and Akiko was beneath her knives- one in her right shoulder, the other in her left hip.

"You always were a sore loser, Tenten." Akiko sneered through her pain and ragged pants.

"You're weak and pathetic. Leave now, and know that you come back to Konoha under pain of death." Tenten cruelly twisted the knives as she yanked them out of both the tree and Akiko, and then punched her. Akiko fell to the ground, turning it to water as she plunged into it and then all returned to its normal state.

"Merperson freak." Ino said clearly. Tenten slid down the tree trunk and landed on the ground. She flicked her wrists and the knives became concealed once more. She shivered, her body going through an adrenaline rush. It made her feel light headed and she leaned back against the tree, patting it in thanks.

"I knew playing that game would turn out badly," Sasuke commented. Taking Sakura's hand, they both turned and disappeared, heading back to Naruto's lounge room. One by one, the others left until only Neji and Tenten remained.

"You didn't have to do that," he said, coming out of the shadows.

The weapon mistress had only just calmed her heartbeat. "What should I have done then?" she asked, "Why didn't you hit her like you did with Temari?"

"I knew Akiko- much more so than Temari."

"How did that make a difference?"

"I knew you loved her like a sister." Neji whispered, pulling her to him. Tenten placed her head on his chest and sighed. He was still shirtless because of the summer heat.

"She lost that privilege the moment that she kissed you." came her muffled voice.

"Well, aren't we possessive?" Neji smirked. She looked up at him, a gleam in her eyes.

"And you'd be better off not forgetting that, Hyuuga. This matter isn't resolved yet-"

Neji saw fit to still her mouth with his own. Tenten felt his tongue slip between her lips and slowly caress her own and she felt his hands slide under her light singlet, running them up her stomach. Tenten sighed again, and ran her hands over his broad chest and progressed through his raven locks. She felt his hand graze the soft skin beneath her bra and she pulled back.

"Mm, Neji, we'd better get back- they might notice that we're gone." She murmured, hating herself for it.

"Really?" Neji slowly lowered his head and kissed her again.

"Neji, I mean it." Tenten looked into his eyes. He sighed, resigned to his fate, and let Tenten lead him back to Naruto's living room. Upon their arrival, Tenten set to work on calming Hinata's nerves- who was convinced it was all her fault because she had invited Akiko to stay. Neji sat by Lee, who had began drinking, to make sure that someone could restrain him in case he accidentally let slip the power of the Drunken Fist.

"Hina-chan! It's not your fault! Akiko was the one who decided to take things a step further, and I was the one who decided to punish her for it. If there's anyone at all to blame, it's me. Honestly. I'm sorry, Hinata. But look- everyone's had a great time, and it's been the best party I've been to in ages."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Go on, Naruto has been worried because you're upset!" Hinata hugged her friend and looked over at Naruto, then Tenten. She nodded in encouragement and the Hyuuga went to join her boyfriend.

Tenten felt Neji's intense gaze upon her, filled with much desire. She felt her cheeks glow as she felt her swollen lips, feeling Neji's own upon them as if they'd been permanently imprinted upon them. The kunoichi suddenly wished that the party would be over and that she could just curl up beside Neji in her bed and sleep, with all thoughts of Akiko far, far away.

Unfortunately for her, that would not happen, due to the events that took place within the next hour.

"You know, I'm very friendly when I get drunk," Lee announced. Tenten sighed. Had that been said when he were sober, the comment would have been rewarded with a punch. She glanced at the pool table. Two and a half out of four bottles were empty. She sighed once more.

"This won't end well." Tenten said, coming up to stand behind Neji. Shikamaru and Ino had started on the remaining bottles, and Lee reached out to help them in their task, but he found, belatedly, that he had been restrained by his team mates.

"You guys suck. You never let me have any fun. You never let me get drunk since that day… and you," Lee paused to look up at the Hyuuga. "You are a cold self centred ass hole. I think Tenten had the biggest crush on you since the day she stopped liking me and you didn't respond to anything at all from seventeen to the camp four years later…stupid…" Lee trailed off and took a deep breath. "And you…" he looked at Tenten with a pained expression. "I know I can't say anything mean to you or you'll kill me tomorrow after Neji does, but have I ever told you… Haha! Look! The bottle's half… Neji would, typically, say full, and Tenten would say empty. Wait it's the other way around isn't it? You are opposites. Opposites attract. That's why you are lucky, Tenten. Neji… will never cheat on you with Sasuke and have a gay affair because they're so much the same… Tenten… Kill me, plea-" Lee slumped on the table. Tenten wiped her hands on her miniskirt and nodded, smiling.

Neji pulled Lee into a standing position and placed his arm around his back.

"I'll take him home." He said before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

The party was now drawing to a close and everyone was leaving.

"Thanks for everything, guys. It was an excellent party- and sorry about Akiko. Anyway, I'd better get going- Goodnight, Naruto-kun, and Hinata-chan." Tenten said with a bow. She turned and disappeared into the darkness of the night. She loved to walk the streets of Konoha in the summer. The fact that the streets were devoid of life and light, except for the full moon, did not perturb her – it helped her to think and increased the chance of her mind wandering.

"Akiko," she murmured, her fingers subconsciously reaching for the gloves in her bag pocket. Something told her that the other kunoichi was close. Very close. Tenten shifted smoothly into a defensive crouch, her bag falling soundlessly to the floor, her senses cast out and strained for any sign of movement.

The weapons mistress breathed deeply, as she had been taught by Neji and let everything around her thrum through her system. She searched for chakra- known or otherwise- and looked up and down the street for any sign of life. She shut her eyes and listened intently for anything other than the sounds of a completely mediocre summer's night.

Tenten looked up and scanned the rooftops, straining her ears even further. There was nothing to see or hear. The kunoichi gazed up at the moon, its light partly obscured by a lone cloud. Tenten sighed. She knew that was Akiko. Getting her to come down would be no problem, but getting her to hurry up would be impossible.

**If anyone has objections as to what I have decided to write, express your opinions. I don't really like this chapter all that much myself, and if anyone wants something taken out and/or added in, don't hesitate to say something! I'm still not sure as to whether or not Naruto should have been kissed in the place of Neji, but then Tenten bashing her up then wouldn't have really made sense- Hinata had more of a right to do that, and I think she would have done more than fine on her own, but I am lazy, and can't really be bothered to research some of Hinata's techniques and fighting styles… and sorry about the short length. **

**Until next time… **


	4. The Second Fight

**THE DAY OF THE PARTY: THE SECOND FIGHT **

_The kunoichi gazed up at the moon, its light partly obscured by a lone cloud. Tenten sighed. She knew that was Akiko. Getting her to come down would be no problem, but getting her to hurry up would be impossible._

A drop of rain fell to the ground. Another followed, and Tenten took a step back. She pulled on several weapons and holsters and waited, still in a defensive crouch, relaxed but alert.

The rain continued to fall- but only in a circular patch a meter away from the Konoha kunoichi- but seemed to peculiarly stack up on top of the other drop that had previously fallen, instead of seeping into the ground. Tenten was soon staring at a pair of daintily placed stiletto clad feet made entirely out of water.

The kunoichi groaned. Akiko, before battles, would often prepare herself and calm whatever nerves she had by choosing a 'gorgeously sexy killer outfit' and deciding on an impressive entrance. These outfits and entrances were neither practical nor entirely appealing- she only wasted chakra in her admission to the battle and ruined her clothes, or what little there was to ruin, anyway.

The water droplets continued to rise but Tenten was slowly losing patience.

"Akiko," she said slowly, "if you want this fight to happen, hurry up already!"

"You," came the disembodied reply, "cannot rush perfection."

Tenten glanced at the water's progress in forming Akiko's body. She was presently staring at a pair of long legs wearing a miniskirt, accompanied (from what detail Tenten could make out) by fishnet stockings.

Tenten sighed and began twirling her kunai in her left hand, then switching to her right, and tapping her foot. With an admonishment she stilled herself- a kunoichi should be able to stay still for hours without movement – it was one of the things required in reconnaissance missions – basically, spying.

Akiko was now fully formed up to her misshapen eyebrows that had recently been shaved and drawn in a fashion that made her seem to have a both permanent look of surprise, along with anger.

The kunoichi, currently from the Wave country, and previously from the Fallen Leaf, was wearing a midriff top with, once again, fishnets on top. She wore fingerless gloves that extended to her elbows, of the same material and her fingernails had been extended and sharpened into talons.

Tenten bared her teeth and snarled, feeling the rush in her system begin. Her heart began pounding faster with each beat, her body tensed in apprehension.

A mist quickly shrouded the water-Akiko's body, covering the liquid as it completed its form.

The cloud dissipated and Akiko stood in its place.

Tenten's snarl turned to a laugh.

"Did you consult the thirteen year old Lee before putting your outfit together?" Tenten flicked her wrists, the knives becoming unsheathed and glinted in the moonlight. She jumped onto a roof in the blink of an eye and back down, behind Akiko. The other girl was raked across her bare back, blood marring hr pale skin like scarlet ribbons. She turned and struck out with speed, but it was not fast enough. Tenten flipped back and shifted into a defensive stance once more.

"What happened to your eyebrows, Ki-san? Did your latest boy toy shave them off?" Tenten taunted, grinning wickedly.

"My latest boy toy is your bloody beloved Neji-kun whom you are so deeply in love with." Akiko mocked, putting on a breathless, girly voice.

"Mocking me won't work, you know." Tenten said lazily. "By the way, did you know that the only reason why Naruto never went out with you is because he thought you ere despicable? He said he _hated_ sluts like you. _He_ actually said _your_ name, Akiko."

Akiko attacked Tenten in a mad, reckless frenzy – all of which Tenten blocked. Akiko moved fluidly, like water, and no matter what Tenten did, she still kept up her assaults. In a quick manoeuvre, Tenten had managed to break one of Akiko's horrifically long nails. She jumped back and looked up at Tenten with hate in her eyes.

"You broke my nail!" she screamed.

"You broke my nail!" Tenten mocked. Akiko drew out some concealed weapons and launched herself at Tenten, with a renewed vigour. Tenten was glad that her training with Neji had improved all of her aspects as a kunoichi, and she wouldn't take for granted those long hours he had kept her out for a little less than ten years.

There was only the sound of their quick footfalls, Akiko's harsh breathing and the screech of metal grating against metal. Tenten felt herself being pushed in the stomach. Seeing her opponent winded, Akiko threw more weapons in a fashion which was impossible to dodge.

Tenten fell to the ground, rolled and jumped up, avoiding the kunai aimed at her hamstring. She arched her back, feeling the senbon needle slip past the small of her back and threw her weight backwards, feeling a shuriken graze the base of her throat. Tenten flipped gracefully and landed on a rooftop.

Akiko paled. Tenten had truly become a great kunoichi, and for a moment, running away seemed like a very appealing option. However, her thrice-accursed pride would not let her, and no one had ever defeated her trump card.

The scantily clad kunoichi put her hands together and formed strange seals. Tenten lightly ran her left index finger over the knuckles on her right hand. There was an almost inaudible click and she flung out her hand in Akiko's direction, the knives flying out with force.

Their target bent her knees and leaned backwards, avoiding the daggers, still forming the seals with her hands and whispering words that Tenten had never heard, and had never been heard in anyone's lives – except for Akiko's. Akiko straightened and deftly slashed her wrist. Her blood spilt to the ground, warm and crimson.

With an air of finality, Akiko formed the final seal and plunged her uninjured hand into the pooled blood, her injured hand flung out for Tenten to see. In the silvery moonlight, the kunoichi could see, to her horror that the other girl's wrist was healing- as if it had never been cut. The owner of that wrist straightened and stepped backwards, pulling her hand out of the earth as she went. That, too, was clean and unharmed in any way.

Tenten fell instantly and reflexively into a guarded stance and waited for an attack for a few tense minutes. None came, and Tenten sneered.

"Your mutterings and blood came to nothing, just like always. Is that the best you've got?" Tenten pulled out a katana from seemingly nowhere (in Akiko's opinion), sensing a real attack. Moments later, Akiko flew into the sky and into the moon's radiance, her shadow falling across Tenten's eyes. Four kunai flew to the earth, and Tenten quickly dodged them all easily, watching them plunge into the ground, a scant hands breadth from her body. The weapons mistress frowned and looked around for her enemy. She was on the other end of the street. Tenten tried to move and slink back into the shadows, but found that her feet could not move. She looked down.

The area in which she was enclosed by the four kunai was covered in a layer of blood, coming from the ground. The earth was bleeding. Tenten wrinkled her nose in distaste. Blood made everything slide and hard to grip. Upon a sudden inspiration, Tenten covered her hands in the red, sticky fluid and simultaneously moulded chakra around the soles of her feet. She jumped up and flipped back, bot not before getting her inner arms slashed by the kunai, no longer embedded in the ground.

"You're positively stupid and weak. I am too strong for you." Akiko called as she watched Tenten disappear into the shadows. "You're weapons may be strong enough to draw my blood, but my blood is stronger and more potent than any weapon you can wield."

Tenten ignored her opponent and quietly and swiftly crept through the darkness.

"It's my turn," she whispered as she flitted over to Akiko's ear. She smirked as the girl jumped. Neji, she knew, wouldn't mind her taking a leaf out of his book.

The kunoichi formed a few seals behind her back and felt her hands flare up with unseen chakra. She then struck out without warning, and Akiko blocked – but only just. Even if the other girl could match Tenten blow for blow, it would not be enough- not for this technique Tenten had developed, watching Neji.

After a few more hits, Akiko decided that proposing a challenge of a fight was futile if it meant losing. She fell to the ground sobbing.

Akiko looked up at the weapons mistress, contempt barely visible in the pain-clouded eyes.

"You… you broke my arms?"

"No." Tenten replied calmly, looking down at her foe. "I've fractured them." she pointed at blood smears as she listed, "your arms, a few ribs, your right femur and left tibia… and maybe a few torn muscles, but what would I know?"

Akiko didn't reply. She just hugged herself with a pained expression on her sallow and pale face.

Tenten bent down to her ear.

"Hey Akiko," she murmured. "Do you want to see what else I can do without those weak weapons of mine?"

Without waiting for an answer, Tenten formed a series of complex seals so fast her hands were just a series of red blurs, and then she laid, with an excruciating slowness, both of her palms down on the ground. Seemingly satisfied, she stood up and spun around in an anticlockwise direction, and felt the ground shift beneath her feet.

Akiko watched, fascinated, despite her pain and know that this move would probably be the last one that she'd ever see Tenten perform. There was a slim chance, however, that the whole thing would backfire and she, Akiko, would emerge from this battle, victorious.

Every thought that Akiko had of this were wiped from her mind as Tenten kicked her deftly, knocking her out, and the weapons mistress hauled the small figure into the middle of her crater. Taking a deep breath, Tenten sat down on the lip of the shallow dent, and waited.

Akiko regained consciousness when the sky began to lighten. The sun was a small pink sliver above the horizon and the clouds had been dyed peach, just for that moment. The pains in her body had lessened- her chakra had automatically gone towards healing it enough to move with minimal discomfort. She smiled. Maybe Tenten was as weak as she thought, and had decided to leave Akiko for dead. The smile died when she saw her enemy sitting not even a pace away from her.

The kunoichi was struggling to keep her eyes open, her palms flat against the ground for support.

"Tenten..." Akiko murmured. "So naïve. You thought you could beat me by fracturing my bones and making this stupid little crater…" she prepared to attack, but realised, with a jolt, that she was running very low on chakra. Her wounds had obviously taxed her chakra reserves, and she knew that if she were to act, it would have to be soon.

Other than that, if Tenten started using weapons again, and she was cut, Akiko would die of blood loss- she felt slightly dizzy at the moment, and had to get some rest.

She jumped out of the ditch, only to find herself drawn back into it, the exact spot that she had just left. A few more unsuccessful attempts to escape her very shallow prison had woken up her enemy.

Tenten looked into Akiko's eyes.

"You're dead, now. And you knew it, too." She whispered. Akiko was taken aback more by the sight of her eyes that by her words.

"You sick bitch!" she cried, horrified. "You stole his eyes!"

"What was that?" Tenten shrugged. "Oh you mean these? Well the thing about them is…" she blinked innocently, and they changed colour back and forth from snow white to deep amber. She then looked down at her hands once more and Akiko followed her gaze, a peculiar sense tumbling about in her stomach.

It hit her the moment she saw the small, steady and controlled chakra flow out of Tenten's fingertips. It was a sense of doom, and inevitability. She was going to die, but she resolved it would not be without a fight.

"What's the chakra for?" she asked, her voice wavering. Tenten looked up into her eyes. Akiko flinched, and averted her gaze.

"What do you think?" Tenten asked softly, looking meaningfully at Akiko's feet, which was covered in white chakra strings.

Akiko's terror grew. All rational thought scattered from her mind as she slowly lifted her arms to form seals.

Tenten flung up her hands.

"Stop!" she cried. Akiko's hands froze. "By our blood, I bind your hands to your body!" Akiko's hands snapped instantly to her sides and would not budge.

"What is this?" she cried.

"Well, when I jumped out of that bloody patch over there, the kunai cut me, all down my inner arms." Tenten said, as calmly as if she were discussing the weather. "My hands were already covered in your blood and they intermingled. When I hit you, your blood and mine ended up on your skin. Those handprints there act like a lodestone. When you leave, it wants to draw back more of my blood and yours mixed together. As you are the closest thing, it seeks the blood on _you_. Okay, is there anything else I've forgotten? Oh, yes, there is, but I'm not going to tell you." Tenten smiled and shrugged, and all Akiko could see were those startlingly white eyes.

Akiko summoned all of her strength to curse her somehow, and she opened her mouth. Tenten was already two steps ahead of her.

"Silence!" Tenten's hands flew into the air once more. "By our blood, I now banish your voice!" she whispered with a deadly ferocity. Akiko felt the feeling in her stomach again, and she saw Tenten's eyes flare even brighter. She realised, with even more fear, that the kunoichi was drawing upon her chakra.

"I see you've picked up on the thing I didn't tell you." Tenten nodded. "Your chakra is white. My eyes are white. This chakra here is white. I am using your chakra to see you and your body and, thus, control you. Isn't that cool? So anyway, you'll die when I consume all of your chakra." She said conversationally. She stood up and turned around, as if Akiko's last moments were of no concern to her- only the rising of the sun.

Akiko knew that her death was coming. She had only a few seconds to live- half a minute that the most.

With all of her mind power, she gathered all of her spirit, mind and soul, jealous and rage consumed, and cast it from her body, at Tenten's back, breathing her last breath. Her last thought, just before her lifeless body hit the ground, was that she would not be the only kunoichi to die that day. Somehow, it was not really any consolation at all.

Akiko was not a skilled ninja at all. If she had been on the same level as Tenten in any skill whatsoever, the outcome of this entire battle would have been different. As it was, the death curse that she had created was not enough to kill her opponent, but only to suspend her in that thin, ever wavering and unsure line between life and death.

When Tenten woke up in the hospital, the room was bathed in golden, midday sun. She sighed. It felt good to be out of the black all-consuming and disorientating hole called unconsciousness. The kunoichi stretched and turned over onto her side and found herself almost kissing Neji, who lay asleep on the bed beside her. He looked immensely tired, as if he had battled all of the monsters in this world to get to her bedside. She tentatively stroked stray strands of hair away from his face, smiling gently when he murmured something incomprehensible and frowned. He seemed to remember something in his sleep, and his expression went from one of perplexity to one of contentment.

A nurse came in and dropped her clipboard at the sight of Tenten. Neji woke with a start as it clattered to the ground, the metallic sound clattering through the empty room.

"Tenten," he whispered, tracing the planes of her face with his thumb. Tenten sighed and looked back at him, drinking in his features with a look of longing on her face. Neji slowly closed the distance between them and kissed her lips chastely.

She looked at him.

"There's something different about you." she murmured, surprised at the sound of her husky voice. "Your hair…" Tenten ran her fingers through his long raven locks. They were no longer smooth, clean and silken, however. They were straggly and oily, and looked thoroughly unkempt.

Sakura came in, dressed in a skimpy elf's outfit- complete from the pointy hat to the thick black belt to the three inch boots.

She, like the nurse, froze when she saw the kunoichi awake, and talking to Neji. In a moment, she had composed her features and bent down to pick up the dropped clipboard.

"Why does everyone who walks into the door freeze or something?" Tenten said, her voice still husky. "It's like I'm some kind of freak, or I've come back from the dead."

"Tenten." Neji said placating her by placing a hand on her arm.

"What?" she looked at him, her tone a bit hurt. "I think I would like an explanation- I mean I saw it in you too- you thought I was a dream, and you almost doubted me."

"Tenten, I'm sorry." Sakura said, coming to stand by the bedside, checking the various monitors situated around the bed head. "It's just that you've been in a coma for six months to the day." Sakura pulled out a box from under the bed and threw her red hat with faux fur trimmings and a pompom at the top onto the bed at Tenten and Neji's feet.

"Six… months?" she frowned. She had thought that it would only have been six hours- it had definitely felt like it.

"Tenten," Neji said softly as Sakura rummaged around in the box. "It's Christmas."

_**Yay! Almost done! Hope you liked it- please review- the next chapter (it'll be a long one, I promise!) will be coming out hopefully within the next few weeks! **_


	5. Christmas Day

**Yes! A successful cliff hanger! Yes, yes, everything was deliberate… in this chapter, we find out what they wrote in the book which is not a very good cliff hanger, but anyhow! (See the 6th chapter of Camp is Fun!) **

**And now, once again, we come to the end of another story… it's been awesome! Read, review, enjoy… **

**CHRISTMAS DAY- SIX MONTHS LATER**

"_Tenten, I'm sorry." Sakura said, coming to stand by the bedside, checking the various monitors situated around the bed head. "It's just that you've been in a coma for six months to the day." Sakura pulled out a box from under the bed. _

"_It's been six… months?" Tenten frowned. She had thought that it would only have been six hours- it had definitely felt like it. _

"_Tenten," Neji said softly as Sakura rummaged around in the box. "It's Christmas."_

"Christmas!" Tenten shrieked, making Sakura drop whatever she was holding in fright. "That slut was weaker than I thought!"

Neji smiled and took her hand, caressing its smooth skin.

"She was weak enough to put you in a six month comatose state!" Sakura said, shaking her head.

"Considering that she wanted to kill me, she didn't do a very good job of it…" Tenten muttered.

"Tenten…" Neji said.

"Just so you know, Tenten, you have no idea how incredibly…"

"Loving and loyal?" Neji suggested a smirk on his face.

Sakura glared at the Hyuuga- one that he returned. "_Annoying_ it was to have that boyfriend of yours hang around you all day, everyday. He was _freaked_ out of his mind about you and refused to leave your side, and would let no one other than himself, myself or Tsunade to attend to you because he was so bloody paranoid. It was six long, painful and lonely months, Tenten- and especially for him."

Sakura sat on the other side of the bed.

"Nice hat," Tenten said, toying with the pompom on the top of the hat. "And costume." She added, eyeing the boots with three inch heels.

"Yeah- Christmas party at Kiba's. Mr Broody Hyuuga here wouldn't come."

"And it was a good thing I didn't." Neji replied.

Silence fell.

Sakura shook her head and picked up the pencil torch.

"Open." She commanded. Tenten opened her mouth and Sakura shone the light in her mouth, then in her eyes. "How do you feel? Weak? Dizzy? Hungry? Thirsty?" Sakura asked many more questions and made some markings on the clipboard with the pen.

"Nothing. I'm feeling a bit weak and feeble right now… but that death curse didn't work very well." Tenten commented in an off-handed manner.

"Tenten?" Neji looked up at her. "Did you kill Akiko?"

Their eyes met, and Tenten lost herself Neji's silvery depths, with hints of lilac. It was a bit of a feminine colour, but who cared? Tenten mentally shook herself.

"No!" she cried indignantly. "She was the one who tried to kill me! We fought, I trapped her, and she shot that stupid and weak death curse at me!"

"Like I said before, it was weak enough to put you into a six month state of unconsciousness." Sakura repeated. "Okay, if I may ask, does this hurt?" Sakura had lifted the back of Tenten's shirt and pressed a certain point. Tenten took a sharp breath and winced. Neji noticed that she was trying to blink back tears of shock.

"What is that?" the kunoichi asked. "It's annoying as all hell!"

"That, my dearest," Sakura said dryly, "is where it hit you."

Neji traced his finger around the mark and Tenten shivered. "There's a mark there." He murmured quietly, his warm breath spreading across her skin.

"Let me guess, it's something tacky, cliché and predictable like a symbol of death." Tenten laughed.

"No, it says dragon." Neji said in the same soft voice.

"That wasn't expected, but then again, Akiko was always classy in her insults." She snorted and Neji and Sakura rolled their eyes. "So has anything happened?" the weapons mistress asked suddenly. "Anyone get married? Engaged? Break up? Engaged?"

"You said engaged twice." Neji said, positioning himself beside her once more.

"I know." She looked at Sakura significantly and the younger girl blushed.

Neji cocked an eyebrow.

"You're engaged?" he asked.

"Yes." She squealed, jumping up and down excitedly.

"Then why aren't you wearing your engagement ring?" he asked softly.

Sakura's blush returned.

"We wanted to wait for you to wake up before telling everyone. Ino would have noticed the ring."

"How much did you want to tell her?" Tenten asked, teasingly.

"Heaps. I mean after he proposed, it was so beautiful. I mean he even got down on one knee to propose." She sighed.

"Where did he do it?"

"It was sunset, and he'd taken me to the beach for a day…"

"Really? He's changed that much? Are you sure that Ino and Hinata don't know?" Tenten smiled.

Sakura smiled. "I'm positive." Then she looked at Tenten curiously. "How did you know?"

"I had a feeling. I have a strong intuition, which I think is quite necessary in our line of work. Anyway, you are feeling quite buoyant, and it just washed over me in waves and I thought that I should decipher it." Tenten said, quite cryptically.

"Why didn't Neji notice it first?" Sakura asked.

"Neji is still here you know." Neji grumbled.

"What? It looked like you were asleep again."

Neji was lying on the bed with his eyes closed, his hand still holding Tenten's.

"Listening to you talk about marriage and engagements became no longer amusing." The Hyuuga said.

"Well, he was wrapped up in his own pain and couldn't see your happiness."

"What are you- Miss I-can-read-and-interpret-everyone's-emotions?" Sakura asked.

"Not that I know of."

"You were never like this before."

"Hm. I wasn't, was I?"

"Where are you getting all of this information?" Neji asked, suddenly, curious.

"I don't know… something at the back of my mind. It seems to put everything together for me and I just know, suddenly." She replied, puzzled herself.

"Does your back hurt or tingle when it happens?" Neji asked.

"No. why?"

"Because it's glowing."

"Really? No way! What colour?"

"Um… white."

There was a silence. Tenten thought about it for a few seconds and said, "Its Akiko's doing. She is more than a bit stupid." She shook her head.

"What is it?" Sakura asked suddenly.

Tenten looked at her.

"Have you ever heard of death curses?"

"No."

"Neji? Have you?"

"Only one thing. It's a suicide act. You pour all of your hate and life into one action and it will kill the person you wish to kill, but you will die for it."

"Action? Can that be anything at all?" Sakura asked, still confused. "What has that to do with Akiko?"

"How much chakra would that consume?" Tenten asked slowly.

"A lot, depending on the strength of the person you wish to kill. The stronger they are, the more chakra is required."

"I see."

"What?" Sakura asked, desperate to know. She was extremely intelligent, but talking about this made her feel extremely in the dark and stupid.

"I bound Akiko's hands to the side of her body, her feet to the ground and destroyed any voice she had. The only thing she could do was think of the curse and throw it out of her body. I don't know how she did it, but she did. Maybe she had some kind of mental power…" Tenten's eyes widened in shock.

"What is it?"

"Akiko had mental powers?" Neji said.

"It appears so. She put all of her life into that one thought and cast it from her body, and transferred, unknowingly, her power to me." Tenten lay back on the bed, and sighed. "She really didn't have any idea about it. She never told me about it, and never really had big brainwave flashes or anything."

"But that's not possible." Sakura said, understanding, but not accepting.

"It is," said a voice from the doorway. Everyone looked at Tsunade.

"Really?" Tenten sat up, eager to hear more.

"Yes, but, for now, I think you should close your mind to other presences. There are a lot of shady characters out there who can sense sensitive minds like yours and take advantage of it."

"Sensitive minds?" Tenten said, her pride a bit injured.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

"I meant that your mind is now very receptive to other minds, emotions and thoughts. It is also very vulnerable in this state, so you'd be better closing your mind to these things when you're in a battle involving more than one opponent and walking around in the streets, or being in a crowded room with people you don't know."

"How do you close or open your mind?" Neji asked. He had known something like this would come with a drawback.

"Like this." Tsunade formed the dragon seal and whispered her name. Tenten blinked and sighed.

"That feels better."

"What? Why? Does it hurt to have your mind open?" Tsunade asked.

"No, it's just that someone close by is having an e… a very good dream. They think it's good anyway." She shivered and grimaced.

"Are you going to be okay?" Tsunade asked.

"Yeah. I think I need some more rest." She replied and her once idol and her apprentice stood up and left.

"Tsunade-sama?" Tenten called out. "When can I leave?"

"Tomorrow." The Godaime replied, and Tenten sighed.

When she was sure that the pair had left, she sat up and tugged on Neji's hand.

"Let's go." She said, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "I don't want to stay in here another day." She stood up and walked over to the wardrobe and quickly put them on, not bothering to hide anything. Neji pinked slightly.

"Come on."

Neji sat up and rubbed at the dark circles under his eyes. "Where are we going?"

"I am going to have a shower, at home. I haven't washed my hair physically by myself for six months, and neither have you, from the looks of it." Neji glowered despite himself. He picked up his jacket and wrapped it around Tenten, and they snuck out of the hospital.

They headed towards the market place, walking slowly as Tenten's muscles became used to movement once more.

Something caught Tenten's attention. She drifted away from Neji, who pulled her back, but it was too late.

The man who had caught Tenten's attention was now walking confidently over to her, ignoring Neji. Tenten looked at him. He seemed to be slightly blurred at the edges, like he was surrounded by an aura. His clothing was neat and tidy, and he carried with him a thick black leather bound book. Tenten was about to say something, but he grabbed her hand. At that point, a strange scent washed over her, and a nauseating blankness took over her. She felt like she had to get away, faint, do what he said and do nothing – all at the same time. Tenten realised her was speaking. What he said went into one ear and out the other and she registered, on some level, that he was analysing her palm, all the while checking his black book and making strange gestures.

The urge to get away, or make the man get away from him overrode all others and she flicked her wrists. No wickedly bared knives came to her rescue. She was without any munition.

"I-I have to…" she mouthed, her voice gone. Neji noticed both gestures and tapped the man's head. He reeled back, falling to the ground, blood trickling down his forehead from where Neji had touched him.

"The Hyuuga!" He clutched his beloved book to his chest. "He's casting a spell over me!"

"Silence!" Neji thundered in a voice so terrible, that it was what he got- in a five mile radius. "You are now accused on preying on the weak-willed…" Tenten, her pride a bit marred, poked him roughly.

"I'll handle this." The kunoichi said, her face regaining some of its colour. She then looked down at the man on the floor, her face changing to an impassive mask. Tenten snatched away the book and summoned fire to the palm of her hand, burning it quickly to dust. The minute particles of ash were blown away by a gentle breeze and the strange scent seemed to wash away with it, leaving Tenten feeling clean and stronger than she had been before. "If you ever even _try _to accost anyone around here again, I will know, and I will hunt you down. Actually, I am going to stop that from happening for as long as you live." As she spoke, Tenten formed seals behind her back. She touched the man's forehead where Neji had tapped it and her eyes turned a dull black.

"W-what a-are y-y-ou…" the man stuttered.

"By your blood! I bind you to silence!" she whispered in a low voice. "By your blood, I bind you to silence. By your blood, I destroy your evil crafts and disintegrate all chakra in your body!" the man coughed up blood violently, his body obeying her commands and harming him in the process. "By your blood, spirit and mind, do you swear to never hurt any other living creature ever again and never to pass on your knowledge of this craft to any other living creature, or write it down, or reveal its secrets to anyone?" Tenten said in one breath. She, however, did not seem puffed out at all.

The power of the moment gave him his voice back.

"I.. I swear." He croaked.

Tenten looked into his blue eyes, flecked with gold.

"Do you swear on your life?" she asked quietly.

He hesitated.

"I swear! I swear! Please, leave me!" he cried.

The sun reached its zenith in the sky.

"Do you vow on your body, mind and soul?" she said quietly.

He paused yet again.

"I… I swear." He said, resigned. He opened his mouth to say something else, but his voice left him.

"Know this." She proclaimed so all would hear. " If you ever betray your words, you will die. Your blood will boil and burn and freeze within your veins, in anger, hate and pain. Your agony will last and torment you to all hell. Every breath you draw would taste and smell of every fetid deed you have ever done, and you will not receive redemption and forgiveness from any living creature in this world, for you have broken a sworn blood oath." Her voice faded, and the man fell to the ground, bowing at her feet.

She kicked him away, and her eyes became their usual chocolate colour.

"No one can take that vow away from you. You swore of your own free will." She snarled in a warning, then disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Neji, who had been all but forgotten followed her.

"I'm impressed." He said, on their balcony. "Who taught you magic?"

"It's not magic." she replied shortly. "It's a simple jutsu that uses the person's blood to make sure that they are under your command."

"Really?" Neji said, slowly. "Who taught you?"

"I don't know." Tenten confessed. "It just came to me, in a flash and I didn't know how or where from."

"How long have you known?"

She smiled sheepishly. "For as long as I can remember."

"Why didn't you use it before?"

"It's a close range technique, Neji. I didn't want to use it when I was younger because I liked my weapons. And besides, it's not every day that I want to actually want to have to take the time to do all of that. Knives are faster, easier and don't require chakra. I do it when I'm forced to."

Neji said nothing, satisfied with her answer, slid the key from his pocked into the lock and opened the door.

"Amazing, isn't it, how much dust gathers when you don't clean something for six months?" Tenten laughed when Neji raised an eyebrow. The apartment was spotless. "Then again, it's not so amazing if you have someone clean it for you."

The pair made their way down the hallway to Tenten's bathroom, where everything was just the way she lad left it, and liked it.

Tenten shut and locked the door behind her, then turned on the bath tap. She then proceeded to hunt around in her bathroom, pouring them into the deliciously warm water. The scent of coconut filled the room.

"Tenten?" Neji said, watching the white bath petals dissolve. "It's a girl bath. I'll smell like a girl."

"Who cares? If you stand with me, people will just think it's plain old, girly smelling me." The kunoichi smiled and Neji's breath caught. She was beautiful, and he knew that she was the only woman he had, and would ever, fall in love with.

"Neji," she said softly. "You can't have a bath with your clothes on."

Neji looked into her eyes and she met his gaze with a shyness he was taken aback by. She was stunningly innocent for a woman of her age, and her dreams kept her that way. For how long, he would not know- he hoped it would be forever.

They slowly disrobed, and sank into the tub when their garments lay discarded on the floor, silence and the scent of coconut reigning the room.

"Neji," Tenten said, after soaking for a few blissful minutes in the bathtub. "Neji, sit here. I'm going to wash your hair."

"I'll let you do mine, if you let me do yours." Neji retorted. Tenten wondered at this different Neji- he was altered to the one she had known six months before. He was not as cold and a lot … lighter. Carefree, almost. He was teasing her, for goodness' sake!

"What's wrong with having someone wash your hair?" Tenten asked as she gently massaged the coconut scented liquid into his hair.

"Nothing, anymore…" Neji sighed and he felt his muscles loosen and relax.

"Neji, what else happened while I was in hospital?" Tenten spoke quietly as she rinsed the shampoo out. Neji sighed.

"I don't know. I barely left your side to eat or sleep, and I hardly talked to anyone at all." Tenten gently combed conditioner through Neji's now cleaned tresses. The smell of coconut soothed the tension that had seemed to be growing, for an unknown reason.

"You know, they've probably discovered that we've left the hospital now." Tenten commented. She slowly rinsed the conditioner out of the Hyuuga's hair, the wet locks slipping through her fingers like black satin ribbons.

"I'm tired, Tenten." Neji sighed. "Tired of having to…"

"Then don't." she said simply. She began massaging his lean shoulders and he sighed once more, and leaned back into her slim body, his head on her pale shoulder. The weapons expert's sure fingers soon began to wander, and the moment of peace was broken when someone pounded on the door.

"Three guesses who that is." Tenten whispered as she changed positions with Neji. He smirked when a certain kunoichi began to shout.

"Tenten! You're so stupid! You have just woken up from a six month coma and when I came back t check on you and bring your friends, who have been waiting to see you awake and alive for half a year, and you and your bloody moody ass prodigy boyfriend are gone!" Sakura took a deep breath. "Have you any idea how much trouble you could be in? The people from the Wave country think that could be in? The people from the Wave country think that _you_ killed one of their kunoichi!"

"I think I'm safe where I am," Tenten said, enjoying the feel of Neji's skin against her own, and the touch of his slender fingers in her hair.

"Get out of there now, or we'll break down the door!" Sakura yelled.

"I'm in the bath. As in naked. I wouldn't recommend opening the door." Tenten felt some dread creep into her system.

"Let's open the door then!" she heard Kiba say.

"Let me kill you when I get out." Neji growled.

"Don't open the door!" Kiba shouted.

"How long are you going to be in there for?" Naruto whined.

Tenten and Neji sighed in unison, then the kunoichi began to laugh.

"Get away from the door and out of my bedroom. Go and sit in the lounge room or something."

"Just so you know, we're not leaving until you come out." Kiba called.

"Kiba, go away." Neji growled. The pair heard Akamaru growl back, and Tenten laughed again. Neji slowly combed the conditioner through Tenten's hair. She kept wriggling around, trying to see her back, and Neji gave up, exasperated.

"Does it really say dragon?" she asked.

"I'll tell you if you sit still." Neji smirked as Tenten obediently sat still as he conditioned her hair and rinsed it out.

"_Now _will you tell me?"

"Didn't you believe me the first time?"

Tenten sighed. She formed the dragon seal and whispered her name. Her senses became heightened and she could sense chakra presences much stronger than she normally could. She got out of the water and wrapped a towel around her body. Reaching for her chakra reserves, she formed the goat seal and cried, "Henge!" and transformed into herself, but with clothes on. Taking a deep breath, Tenten unlocked the door and everyone looked at her for a single moment in silence.

"I'm not dressed yet. I'll be right back." She reassured everyone. The weapons expert ran down the hallway into her room and pulled out, from his drawer, some of Neji's clothes, and pulled on some of her own.

Minutes later, Tenten's hair was perfectly dry and she was sitting in her winter clothed bed- in summer, she liked sheets, and in winter, she liked blankets.

Everyone else was in her room- sitting on her bed, or leaning against the wall or her dresser. After a few minutes of talking, Sakura and Sasuke looked at Tenten. She smiled in response and they waited for everyone's attention.

"Everyone, Sasuke and I are getting engaged!" Sakura said. There was silence for a split second, and then Sakura was surrounded by her friends, and they were all laughing and squealing. Sasuke was getting congratulations by everyone else, and Tenten was laughing. The waves of joy washed around the room and she felt swept away by the entire affair. The excitement died down soon, however, and their attentions turned to Tenten.

Hinata presented the kunoichi with a wrapped, rectangular object.

"Hinata!" Tenten protested, trying to push her away.

"Take it." Hinata said firmly. It was more like a command, but Tenten sensed the humour underneath it all.

"Okay," Tenten said meekly, though her smile was far from it. She carefully unwrapped the marble printed paper, and a book slid out from inside, onto the weapons mistress' lap. "It's beautiful! Thank you!" Tenten hugged the younger Hyuuga who was smiling warmly.  
"I think we're all just glad to have you back." She whispered.

Tenten carefully placed the brown, suede covered diary on her bedside table. She liked the notion that it seemed to fit there, as it meant to.

Kiba was next, surprisingly. Tenten had only ever properly talked to him a few times- she barely even knew who the guy was, but something in her warmed to him, and she figured it was probably the fact that he was, in some ways, the brother-figure Neji had never been, and he'd looked after her whenever she had been put out by something.

Akamaru came up and licked her face. She laughed and rubbed his huge white head, and blinked several times when Kiba handed her a set of brand new, fresh scrolls- lined in an apple green- and a new writing set, with green brushes.

"It's beautiful, and practical. Thanks, Kiba!" Tenten hugged the Inuzuka.

"Neji smells just like you," he whispered with a grin on his face and he shuffled away, to be replaced by Ino, who was smiling like she knew something Tenten didn't.

"Well," she began, smiling saucily, "You proved to me today that my gift would become useful, and one that you'd enjoy."

Tenten shuddered dramatically. "You have a dirty mind, No-chan!" she said in a pathetic, high pitched voice. The kunoichi unwrapped the gift, and smiled. Ino had bought her a rose scented bath set, along with a glittery grape smelling lip gloss.

"Thank you. It smells yummy." Tenten commented as she hugged the blonde.

Sasuke and Sakura came to stand at her side, both with a secretive smile on their faces.

"This is from the both of us." Sasuke said in his deep and rich voice. He handed her a baby blue box tied with a silver ribbon.

"Sorry for missing your 21st this year, too." Sakura added. Tenten smiled indulgently. The week of her birthday, in March that year, the old Team 7 had been reunited to go on a mission, and hadn't come home for a month. Sakura had missed Tenten's birthday, and still felt a bit guilty about it.

The suspense in the room built.

"Hurry up already!" Ino could not contain that one sentence and thought, and Tenten moved infinitesimally slower. She grinned and opened the box, and the smile died away.

Neji, who was sitting beside her on the bed, looked over her shoulder, and smiled the same smile Sasuke and Sakura were sharing.

"Would you three stop? It's annoying me." Tenten grumbled.

"Show us already!" Ino said, tapping her foot.

Tenten picked up the chain from its box, and the pendant hung, glinting in the soft lamp light. It was a small silver kunai, half the length of her smallest finger, and it had, cut in a blue stone, the symbol of Konoha on one side, and her name on the other.

"Is it… sapphire?" Tenten asked, rubbing her finger over the characters of her name.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Sakura asked.

"You guys!" Tenten protested.

"Take it." Sasuke commanded, much like Hinata had. Only this time, Tenten felt the tension between Neji and Sasuke rise a notch. It was filling the room, and Tenten's mind, and she almost panicked with the need to make it go away.

"Tenten!" Lee burst into her room. "You're awake!"

"Hey Lee!" Tenten felt the tension deflate and she was lost in Lee's embrace.

"How are you? Are you okay? When did you wake up? Did they carry you here?" Lee gushed.

"Fine, yes, an hour and a half ago and no, I snuck out of hospital."

"Oh. Okay then." Lee said, seemingly suddenly at a loss, then he produced a silver bag. "Merry Christmas!"

Tenten sighed as she drew out a silver bound book. Inside was a copy of the original green notebook that they had all written in on the way home from camp, along with Lee's thoughts on everything that had happened when no body had wanted to write in the book anymore.

"Lee… this is awesome, thanks a lot- you have no idea how much this means to me." Tenten traced the kanji for 'memory' embossed on the book cover.

Tenten smiled nostalgically as she flipped through a photo album that matched the book. Inside were all the photos of everyone he had taken during the camp.

"It's personalised. Your photos with you and Neji wouldn't be in Sakura and Sasuke's album, although there are the normal ones like this." Lee explained as he flipped to one of Tenten and Neji talking. Tenten was smiling, Neji had a resigned look on his face, although his eyes were twinkling.

A tear drop fell onto her cheek.

"Oh this is stupid! I don't even know why I'm crying… Lee, everyone, thank you so much for everything." Tenten hugged everyone in the room, even a slightly startled Shino who, nevertheless, returned the gesture. The kunoichi stifled a yawn.

"Okay, we've tired her out." Sakura said, in a motherly manner. "Everyone, let's get going." She then ushered everyone out of Tenten's apartment.

The calm touches of everyone's minds left and the weapons mistress heard Neji lock the door. She drifted into a semi-awake state, and the world faded away into a comfortable blackness called sleep, or in this case, nap.

­­­­­­­­­­­­

At sunset, Tenten woke with a start. She sighed and turned over, hoping to find Neji in the bed with her, but he was gone. As if on cue, Neji opened the door and quietly entered, with a tray in his hands. He set it down on the bedside table, and sat on the bed.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, stroking her sleep tousled hair away from her face.

She smiled.

"Hungry." The kunoichi replied cheekily as she drew his face down to her mouth. Neji stretched out on the bed beside her as they continued to kiss, craving one another's mouths after being deprived that pleasure for so long. Oxygen, however, became more than necessary and they eventually disentangled their lips, panting.

"Neji…" Tenten whispered, her head propped up by her elbow, her other hand tracing the planes of his face. Neji closed his eyes, and Tenten whispered his name once more, savouring the taste and feel of it in her mouth.

Their interruption came, perfectly timed, a few moments later- but this time, it was their bodies that betrayed them.

"Okay, I wasn't lying when I said I was hungry." Tenten sighed, looking slightly forlorn.

"What's wrong with being hungry?" Neji asked, standing up to retrieve the tray of steaming hot food.

"Nothing… it just seems that there are always interruptions at the worst times and it seems like we'll never have a moment to ourselves." Tenten sighed again, and picked up a pair of chopsticks.

"Well, considering that I am not going to let you out of my sight for the next six months, we'll make up for lost time, I promise." Neji said, that all knowing and all superior smirk on his face.

His kunoichi sipped at her jasmine tea, enjoying its deep flavour. Their eyes met for a moment- his placid, hers unfathomable, and Tenten laughed. These meaningless moments suddenly seemed to be the only things that filled her life.

"Have you slept at all for these past six months?" the weapons expert asked a while later.

"I slept some days, but never for long. Maybe three hours at a time, if I was lucky."

"Neji…" Tenten whispered, leaning in and smiling. "You smell like a girl."

"That really isn't my fault- you persuaded me into it." Neji scowled.

"Don't scowl like that." Tenten scolded. "But it looks like you've had six months to perfect it."

"Don't joke about that. No one knew if you'd ever wake up- or if you'd be whole if you did."

Tenten sat back and drank in Neji's emotions and thoughts. It was terrifyingly simple- he loved her, and would always love her, and he had gone through the darkest time he'd had since seven years ago, afraid of losing her. For her, the party had been yesterday. For him, and the rest of the world, it had been much longer than that.

"Tenten, this is from Lee." Neji said as he handed her another beautifully wrapped gift. This one came with a card.

"Tenten and Neji," she read out loud. "Merry Christmas and have a happy seven month anniversary. Much love, Lee."

Tenten looked down and the hard object she held. She had a suspicious inkling of what lay beneath the paper. The kunoichi ripped the paper off the front, and laughed, showing Neji.

"I can't believe he did that!" she laughed.

The photo frame contained the picture of the kiss they had shared on the disco night.

"Sakura was right- the dress did look good." Tenten commented.

"Right- so much for modesty." Neji retorted as he absentmindedly fingered the kanji for 'love' engraved into a corner of the metal frame. Tenten took it away and placed it on her bedside table, next to the books where Neji had placed them. When she turned back around, Neji kissed her, and pressed something into her hands. When she looked down, she saw that he had handed her a flat white box, tied with a gold ribbon.

The kunoichi pulled gently at the ribbon, watching as it slid free in a smooth motion. She flipped the lid off the slim box, and almost dropped it.

"Neji…" Tenten gasped. "It's beautiful… but where will I wear it to?"

Neji smiled one of his rare, sincere smiles at her and lifted the white gold bangle out of its white velvet casing.

"Where ever you want to wear it to." He slid the bangle onto her wrist and she watched, intrigued, as it shrunk to snugly fit her wrist.

"How did it-?" Tenten asked.

"It changes to what ever you want it to. It matches your kunai." Neji handed her the chain with the pendant on it, and she realised the match. It wasn't that hard.

"The sapphire on your bangle is a bangle in itself." Neji said softly.

Tenten made the bangle big enough to slide back over her hand again and wished for the metal to take the form of a kunai. The sapphire bangle fell to the blanket and Tenten absentmindedly twirled the kunai as she inspected the cerulean stone.

"It's… it's real?" Tenten slipped it over her hand, and it shrank to fit her wrist, as it had before.

"It has limited functions, but it is almost the same as the metal- I wouldn't fight with it though." Neji smirked, and Tenten tapped him on the head with the blunt end of her white gold kunai.

"What about the kunai pendant?" Tenten asked.

"It's a decoration, but when you need it to be, it will become a weapon- but it can not grow or shrink in size." Neji smiled the same secretive smile.

"You three planned it, didn't you?" she said.

"No… We made them."

"What? You said you didn't move away from me." Tenten frowned.

"I was the… financial backer of these presents, and I also helped when they brought it in- why else do you think I got only a few hours of sleep at a time?"

"It's perfect," she said as she leaned over and kissed him. Their moment was destroyed seconds later when there was a knock on the door. Tenten rolled her eyes and slipped the gold and sapphire bangle back on once more, and closed the clasp on the kunai pendant adorned chain. "I'll be right back."

Tenten swung open the door. A figure clad entirely in black stood on her doormat, oblivious to the fanatic girls dying for a glimpse of the dashing Hyuuga prodigy.

"Hi, how can I help you?" Tenten slipped the sapphire bangle onto her other hand, the white gold shifting and moulding to whatever she wished as she held her hands behind her back.

"Are you Tenten?" the night-clad figure asked.

"No- she's out at the moment, can I take a message?" Tenten lied carefully. The bangle became a thin silver wire.

"Out? Out where?" the stranger asked.

"Out, as in unconscious out," the kunoichi lied again, feeling the wire slither soundlessly out of her hand and onto the floor.

"Very smart, Tenten," the new arrival said.

"I'm not Tenten- I said that she was unavailable before." Tenten said suddenly even more suspicious. The metal was slowly entwining itself around the person's hands, behind their back, in the air.

"You are Tenten," the person said.

"Really?" Tenten said, raising an eyebrow.

"Is this not her house?"

"Yes, it is, but I am minding it for her while she is still unable to take care if it herself." Tenten blinked and the wire tightened and morphed into strong hand cuffs. She placed a hand on the stranger's shoulder and pulled them into her apartment, quickly shutting and locking the door.

"Who are you, who sent you and where are you from?" Tenten said, glaring down at the person on the floor.

The person remained silent.

Tenten ripped off the mask, and a bright mane of corn silk coloured hair, and no doubt of that texture, tumbled forth, along with a pair of startlingly blue eyes.

"Who I am is of no matter." She said. Tenten detected a musical lilt to her voice. "Who sent me and why I am here is of no importance either, but I have come to give you this." She stood and looked at Tenten.

"Mm, I see." Tenten said. "I see that you are from the Wave country… and your name is Misa."

Misa blushed an angry red. "I see that you have been bequeathed Akiko's mental powers. A sure sign, I think, that you killed her."

Tenten snorted.

"Yeah. I stole her powers and killed her." She said sarcastically. "All we did was fight, then she committed suicide by throwing a bloody flimsy attempt of a death curse at me! And, of course, she passed her stupid dormant mind powers on to me in a stupid parting gift, along with a killer head ache."

The stranger glared at her.

"Don't glare at me, you stupid messenger. I did not kill her!"

"Right." Misa rolled her eyes.

"Get out. Tell this Michiko, or whoever you work for, that I did not, I repeat, _did not _kill your beloved Akiko!" Tenten put a particular stress on the name. Then she smiled. She'd heard the other girl's thought. _She wasn't beloved by us- only by our men!_ "Hmm. Couldn't keep them, eh? Did she steal your boyfriend too?"

Misa snarled and broke out of the hand cuffs, then ran out of the room.

Tenten locked the door and picked up the bangle which was whole, once more. She slipped it onto the wrist that had the sapphire on it, then they merged together seamlessly. It was a beautiful piece of jewellery.

She looked up.

"Neji, your sleepiness is making _me _sleepy." Tenten prodded her boyfriend back to their bedroom and commanded, "Okay- clothes off, pyjamas on and sleep."

Neji didn't get past pulling off his pants. He'd just shrugged out of his white shirt and fallen on the bed, fast asleep.

The kunoichi he called his own sighed and picked up the tray he'd left on the other side of the bed and carried it into the kitchen and briskly washed them. When she returned to the bedroom, Neji had crawled under the blanket and was sleeping contentedly.

"Six months of troubled sleep. The title of genius no longer suits him- he's more of an idiot!" Tenten muttered to herself. She lay on her stomach on the bed and opened the silver book of memories. Camp memories.

"_Dear Tenten,_

_I don't know if you're going to get this on the right day, but in any case, have a very Merry Christmas. This book is, literally from everyone- it's their memories between these covers, and it is therefore, a small gift to yourself. Get well soon, Lee"_

Tenten smiled and turned the page.

"_What do you think has changed within your group over the past few days?_

_Nothing at all"_

Tenten's eyes clouded nostalgically and remembered Neji's famous all-knowing smirk before finishing her statement with;

"_Except for maybe one thing or two"_

The weapons expert glanced, suddenly, at the photo frame beneath the lamp. The Hyuuga's hands were on her back, her hands in his long hair. Their mouths fit together perfectly.

Suddenly restless, Tenten rolled off the bed and left the apartment.

The next day, when Neji woke to the sound of Tenten entering the apartment. He sat up and looked beside him. Tenten had been lying there, but the imprint was not recently made.

"Get up! Get up sleepy head!" Tenten jumped on the bed. "Up, up, up!"

"I don't want to go to Naruto's pool party!" Neji shouted, then the sound of his own voice shocking him out of sleepiness.

Tenten laughed in reply.

"Neji is silly when he is sleepy." She said, and kissed him once on the nose, and twice on the lips.

"Where did you go last night?"

"Still as sharp as ever," Tenten muttered.

"Where were you?"

"I went for a walk."

"With weapons?"

"I was training."

"From just past sunset to just past dawn?"

Not in the mood for an interrogation, Tenten kissed him, their tongues dancing, twining and exploring. Neji wrapped his arms around Tenten's hips and drew her onto his lap, then allowed his hands to roam and cover every single inch of her skin.

The phone rang.

They both moaned, from pleasure or frustration- neither of them knew or cared.

"No, Tenten just leave it," Neji said in an agonised whisper.

"I shouldn't- what if something's happened?" Tenten whispered back in a husky voice, their lips brushing as she spoke.

"Like what? Sakura having another daily fashion crisis?" Neji smirked.

Tenten sighed, slid out of Neji's arms, and ran down the hallway and picked up the cordless phone

"Sakura! Go away!" Tenten snapped.

"I am _not _Sakura!" Temari said, her voice sounding quite injured and offended. "I just called to say Merry Christmas, happy New Year and get well soon- well, you know, all that jazz."

"Thanks Temari- I'll talk to you another time, okay? Bye!" Tenten slammed down the receiver before the older kunoichi could say anything else.

The kunoichi turned, tripped and fell into Neji's waiting arms.

"Lots of déjà vu recently, huh?" Neji said softly.

Tenten looked up at the prodigy and briefly brushed his lips with her own, then stood up with some difficulty.

Neji glanced at the phone and took it off the cradle and threw it onto the spotless chocolate coloured couch.

"No interruptions this time," Neji said in the same soft tone. Tenten looked into his eyes and shivered in anticipation. The Hyuuga smiled and gently took her hand within his own and kissed her, slowly, sensuously, sweetly and almost seductively. Tenten sighed and melted against the curves of his lean body.

"Tenten," he breathed against her lips, "I love you."

Tenten sighed once again and kissed him roughly in reply.

**The end! **

**(We can all guess what happens next…)**

**Or is it owari? Does owari mean the end? Anyway, thanks heaps to reviewers and readers- it's thanks to you, that I find the motivation to write! if anyone wants an explanation of anything that's happened in thisfic, i might be able to write another small chapter of explanations or something... (wowthat was totally random)****Unfortunately, I won't be able to write anything new for the next few months because of sigh hot and sticky _school_. (**


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